Wed 27 Sep 2006
Couple of weeks ago the mobile court apprehended two persons for running an unauthorized blood bank. One of them was sent to jail because he couldn’t pay a fine of tk 50,000. Would he have been set free he could pay the fine, or rather pay someone a hefty bribe and get away with it?
Most of the blood donors are ‘professional’ – meaning their source of income is donating blood. I only feel empathy for these people who are this desperate to make ends meet. But it was horrific to know that some of the seized bags of blood had blue tint because they weren’t refrigerated properly. They used expired reagents to identify the blood group.
On a separate report in Prothom Alo a pathology/clinit in Rajshahi diagnosed a person’s blood group as B+, where he was actually B-. Imagine that! If B+ was transfused to his body it could’ve been fatal. The Rh incompatibility can kill a person.
How would you feel about going to one of these clinics for treatment?
As for silver lining around the clouds: our DP intern Piya Mukit is working on addressing Medical Negligence through the Law in Bangladesh. Read more about the agenda here…
September 29th, 2006 at 1:31 pm
One way to improve the medical industry in Bangladesh is by allowing the foreign medical professionals to practice legally. So far the government dont allow foreign doctors to practice in the local industry. The Indian doctors we see at the so-called reputed hospitals practice their trade illegally. May be if these professionals are allowed to work under a framed structure, it will uplift the domestic health sector, support industries; including the blod banks..
September 30th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
Sufibaba your statements of not allowing the foreign medical practicioners to practice in Bangladesh is not correct.
BMDC has a due process. And in addition, any hospital can have local approvals very easily to have a foreign health professional practice in BD.
Using this provision, dozen of foreign doctors are practicing in Apollo hospital, Sikdar hospital etc.
We must maintain a gate mechanism. You simply don’t want to be treated by a starnger from a starnge land without any oversight or varification of the skills.